14 February 2013

In Season: Damson Ice Cream



Summer means ice cream & I was lucky enough to get some damsons fresh from the lovely Arfi’s orchard, along with all sorts of plums. Damsons are such a wonderful fruit.  A deep dusky indigo come inky blue when picked & then they turn jewel like when cooked, golden flesh & an almost deep cerise juice.  A pleasant change from other fruits  & veg that when cooked lose their vibrant hues. They are best cooked as they can be somewhat tart straight from the tree.  However when cooked their plummy flavour intensifies, deep & sweet with just a hint of tart. They will make wonderful crumbles & crisps or great  jams & jellies to brighten the cooler months with a little reminder of late lazy sunny Summer afternoons.




Damson Ice Cream, from Nigel Slater’s Tender, a veritable plethora of the most delicious fruitiness.
Ingredients

500g damsons
4 tbsp water
4 egg yolks
200g caster sugar
250ml cream
250g natural yoghurt


Directions

Rinse the damsons & place them in a saucepan with the water & bring them to a boil.  Lower the heat & let them simmer for 10 minutes until the skins have burst & there is a fair amount of vibrant purple juice.  Remove from the heat & sieve the fruit through a fine sieve.  Use a wooden spoon to to press through all the fruit & juice until just the stones remain.  Set aside the puree & let it cool.

Place the egg yolks & sugar in the bowl of a food processor & mix until pale & creamy.  Place the cream in a small pot & heat until just before boiling point, remove from the heat & drizzle over the egg & sugar mixture with processor still running.  Have a basin filled with cold water to hand.  Place the custard in a clean saucepan & warm over a gentle heat, stirring all the time until the custard thickens & coats the back of a spoon.  Be careful here as if the mixture heats too much the custard can curdle.* Once the custard has thickened place the saucepan in the basin of cold water to stop it cooking further & to cool.

Once cooled mix the custard with the damson puree & the yoghurt.  Pour the mixture in to an ice cream maker & churn until almost frozen. Place in plastic container & freeze until ready to serve. Remove from the freezer 10-15 minutes before serving.

*If it does all is not lost.  Place the saucepan in basin of cold water & whisk like crazy & you should be able to save it!


This is beautifully pink & ever so fruity, positively bursting with that deep sweet flavour that only damsons can deliver. Perfect on a hot summer’s day. (Or on any day if like me you love ice cream come rain or shine, all year round.)

This is also my entry for Sweet New Zealand being hosted by Michelle over at Greedy Bread.


If you like this you might like this Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream
Two years ago Souffle


Enjoy!

22 comments:

  1. Gorgeous ice cream! I love plums but usually only either eat them as is or baked them into a tart. But this ice cream is calling me! Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jamie, just loving all the summer fruit at the moment :)

      Delete
  2. Hi Mairi

    Just letting you know i have nominated you for Super Sweet Blogging award...........enjoy your recipes...
    please follow link to accept....no pressure:)
    http://greedybread.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/are-you-a-super-sweetie/


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! No pressure...I'll head over & check it out.

      Delete
  3. Oh more plum recipes - have yet to try them in ice cream but looks delish.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I reckon just about any fruit is delicious in ice cream & surely then it can count as one of my 5+ a day!!!

      Delete
  4. Oh I do love plums, and in ice cream even more! Perfect for a summer afternoon...I'm envious of your lazy, sunny days!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh they have been lovely, certainly enjoying a little quality quite time after a hectic festive season!

      Delete
  5. I am totally envious. Would have loved to get my hands on some damsons this season. I am still eeking out my damson gin that I made a couple of years ago, but stocks are getting low!! I'm definitely going to try this with some other plums though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am very lucky to have Arfi down the road! She keeps me in stock & you have reminded me I have some damson gin that should be well & truly ready :)

      Delete
  6. Woww Ice Cream seems so tempting. Plum ice cream is something which is very different and a must try flavour.
    But still my favourite is Peach Lemongrass Ice Cream I had last time with my friends. The natural and with original taste, peach lemongrass ice cream is a must try ice cream flavour.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great article Lot's of information to Read...Great Man Keep Posting and update to People..Thanks Appliance Repair Services in Carpinteria

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great article Lot's of information to Read...Great Man Keep Posting and update to People..Thanks Stove Repair

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great article Lot's of information to Read...Great Man Keep Posting and update to People..Thanks OVEN REPAIR in San Diego

    ReplyDelete
  10. A very awesome blog post. We are really grateful for your blog post. You will find a lot of approaches after visiting your post. SubZero, Viking, GE refrigerator repair in Point Loma

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great article Lot's of information to Read...Great Man Keep Posting and update to People..Thanks Lg, Miele, Maytag DRYER REPAIR IN PASADENA

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a fantabulous post this has been. Never seen this kind of useful post. I am grateful to you and expect more number of posts like these. Thank you very much. Ice Maker Repair Sub-Zero, Viking, Scotsman, Kenmore, GE, U-Line, Monogram in Los Angeles

    ReplyDelete
  13. Albeit such little estimated ice makers will deliver less number of ice, it ice build up tends to be utilized to get together to your necessities at your helpful time and spot.

    ReplyDelete
  14. It is basic to gain proficiency with the harm early to set ice build up in freezer up on the off chance that it should be fixed, the ideal opportunity for fixing and the spending plan for the repair.

    ReplyDelete
  15. This is my first time visit to your blog and I am very interested in the articles that you serve. Provide enough knowledge for me. Thank you for sharing useful and don't forget, keep sharing useful info: block ice making machine

    ReplyDelete
  16. On that website page, you'll see your description, why not read through this. helpful resources

    ReplyDelete
  17. Really nice and interesting post. I was looking for this kind of information and enjoyed reading this one. Keep posting. Thanks for sharing. vendeur machine a glace italienne

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...